At BU Libraries, we have been exploring ways to communicate use of library resources to our staff and patrons. The visualizations below represent an early effort. Data are pulled via an API from our resource management system (Ex Libris’ Alma) and uploaded via API to data.world. Data are extracted daily as a scheduled process. Using a data connector to the Google Data Studio, several visualizations have been created that show use of library resources for the past fourteen days.
The first page in the visualization below indicates the total number of items loaned by library over the last fourteen days. Notice the decline in total items loaned on weekends. The second page indicates the percent of total circulation for each library during the same time period. (Hover over the graph to enable navigation.) The third page depicts the number of online requests with a breakdown of those for which no full text is available, and the number of full text items that were opened (clicked). The fourth page compares use of online resources with print resources.